battery

[C89ZX7R]

whats the recommended battery , should i get the factory style or aftermarket ?

[Deserion]

The Optima Red Top is a highly recommended battery to use in NBs. Personally, I'd go to your local Wal-Mart/AutoZone/etc. and buy one of their batteries with the warranty on it.

I've done that with the '00. When it starts crapping, take it back for replacement.

But whatever you do, stay well away from Varta batteries!

-Des

[marvins_dad]

I went for the Diehard Gold...there is only one Euro DieHard Gold - costs a little over $100, but exceeds the cold cranking amps of the stock batter and fits perfectly.

Look in the How-To section for pics and write up of my TDI installation of the DieHard battery.

[C89ZX7R]

stay well away from Varta batteries? why ? its not the white one with six removable plugs on top is it ?

[C89ZX7R]

p.s. what model optima batteries will work in the NB's , yellow or red ?

[marvins_dad]

In the How-To there is a link to a discussion thread on the Old Forum. There is also mention of the Optima that someone else had installed in there TDI.

Battery Replacement - How-To

[C89ZX7R]

just going with the 34-78OR its 800 cranking amps and 1000cold , the sc34u red top is 710 and 800 , both are the same size length/height wise just more on the rating . lol the battery in the car was a ( batteries plus 625 cranking and 510 cold ) lol . supposed to have a minuim of 710 cranking . besides i totaled up my milage for 6 months and it came out to 16-18,000 miles every six months . not much driving huh .

[hannaco]

The OEM battery is made by Varta. Pure junk.
I put in an Optima Red top after two others failed to perform. The TDI just sucks the life out of lesser batteries.
Never a problem with the Optima. Hot or cold, never fails to start.

[C89ZX7R]

ok well it wasn't the battery thought it was . started like this . started the car . The battery , check engine , abs , airbag , brake light was on . rev the motor to 1300 everything got brighter and the battery light went off . thought it was the battery . list of things that don't work

headlights ( high low and fog )
turn signals
heater
wipers
etc..

replaced the battery with the redtop optima battery , starts better but battery light plus others were still on , so it didn't fix the problem . of course i noticed one of the metal tab 40 amp fuse links were bad on top of the battery , went to the dealer for one was 8 bux . bought 2 just in case . replaced the 40 amp fuse and the fan starts running when replaced on a very cold motor . if you start the car shut the door and take the e brake off the e brake light starts to blink and there is a multiple tone that pops up that goes on off on off , almost the same sound that it tells you when your low on fuel .

[Deserion]

Originally Posted by C89ZX7R

ok well it wasn't the battery thought it was . started like this . started the car . The battery , check engine , abs , airbag , brake light was on . rev the motor to 1300 everything got brighter and the battery light went off . thought it was the battery . list of things that don't work

headlights ( high low and fog )
turn signals
heater
wipers
etc..

replaced the battery with the redtop optima battery , starts better but battery light plus others were still on , so it didn't fix the problem . of course i noticed one of the metal tab 40 amp fuse links were bad on top of the battery , went to the dealer for one was 8 bux . bought 2 just in case . replaced the 40 amp fuse and the fan starts running when replaced on a very cold motor . if you start the car shut the door and take the e brake off the e brake light starts to blink and there is a multiple tone that pops up that goes on off on off , almost the same sound that it tells you when your low on fuel .

Going to need to pop the steering column trim off, sounds like your ignition switch is on its last legs. Had the same problem on my '00. But I would also check into the alternator additionally, to make sure it's producing enough power...

-Des

[scooperhsd]

The PROPER battery for a TDI NB is a Group 48 (at least pre 2004 models).

[C89ZX7R]

Originally Posted by Deserion

Going to need to pop the steering column trim off, sounds like your ignition switch is on its last legs. Had the same problem on my '00. But I would also check into the alternator additionally, to make sure it's producing enough power...

-Des

well the shop replaced the ignition switch but it started doing the same thing 1 mile away from the shop yay . they said something about a ignition relay that could be causing it . they did say the was a wire that was burnt on the ignition switch so the replaced the switch ran fine for one mile . where is the relay located ?

[hannaco]

The relays are hidden behind the panel just above the driver's left knee.
Look to see if you can find one marked "109" on the top. It will be in the second row. Is it black? It needs to be replaced. The new ones are grey.
The burned wire. Did they replace the entire wire, or just the burned part?
The fuse box on top of the battery needs to be checked. Look under the box to see if there are any melted contacts.

[Dorado]

Hi folks,
I just replaced the OEM battery with an Optima 34R (1,000 CA and 800 CCA). It is significantly smaller in size than the OEM and although it's heavy, it can 'dance around' the battery bay.

I had to do some major acid cleaning, because I had some acid spill from the OEM one. Thus I had to discard the OEM heat shield, and had to clean with baking soda below.

I thought the OEM battery was fit inside an actual battery box, but it turns out that there is only a two sided plastic shield, on top of which fits the fuse box cover. To keep the fuse box cover in place, I need to keep the plastic shield, I think.

It also turns out, that there was nothing holding our OEM battery down. It was just there sitting on top of a metal battery tray of sorts, but it kept in place because it fit snugly with the cloth heat shield all around it.

1-What do you guys suggest to hold a smaller aftermarked battery in place?

2_What do you guys think of these battery mats in order to keep the battery in place, reduce vibration, prevent acid build up, etc.?

http://www.batterymat.com/auto.htm

Thanks!

[hannaco]

Well, the battery is held down with a bolt and wedge to clamp it into place. You will see a grove in the side of the battery down near the bottom where the wedge fits. Once it is clamped down, it should stay in place.
I suspect that you could make one out of some wood, and a bolt rather than pay VW for a new one.
I did not have any problems clamping my Optima battery into place, so can not comment on how to keep it from rattling around. Maybe a long strap that goes under the try and over the top of the battery.